The Jesuit Influences On Japanese Culture

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The Jesuit missionaries were one of the very first outsiders to get into Japan and to have a major influence on the Japanese culture. In the late 1500s the Japanese never felt the need to explore further than their own borders. Japan’s geographical and political remoteness meant that the Jesuits were the only group introducing new ideas. (9) The Jesuits in Japan are understood to be categorized into three levels. The first group were the fathers, or padres, who had the most power in the Order. During this time, all of the padres were European. The second group were the brothers and were a level below the padres. Most of the brothers were European, but there was a small group of Japanese brothers. Finally, the third group were the native acolytes,